Love's Wings:
A feather in the dark
The dark pain so stark.
Light blossoms in the heart
One the other's part.
Death holds no fear
Carried in a crystal tear.
The crystal tear a star
Hope can carry far.
Hope proclaims the love
Of the one winged like the dove.
The feather shinning white
Revealing it's hidden light.
A Fallen Angel Rises Again
By: Penybright
Chapter 1
Night cast its shadowy veil over Gaea. Trees loomed up to the night sky in shades of midnight and black. The ground shuddered and voices drifted on the night air.
"Van, where are we headed?" Hitomi asked, her pale green eyes scanning the night-shrouded forest.
"The Dutchy of Freid ought to be somewhere around here..." Van replied.
***
Two moons floated in a diamond spattered sky. An ethereal mist floated about them, seeming to make them glow. Three objects appeared, flying in front of the moons. The foremost was Alsedies piloted by Dilandau.
"What's that?" Dilandau wondered aloud when his reddish eyes caught the glint of metal from the forest below.
***
Hitomi and Merle were sitting on the shoulders of Escaflowne as they walked through the night shrouded forest. Hitomi gasped and the Escaflowne stopped.
"Van wait!"
"What is it?" Van asked concerned, his red-brown eyes filling with apprehension.
"I have a bad feeling about this. I don't know what it is, but..." Hitomi trailed off in a whisper.
"Oh no. Is something there?" Merle asked worriedly looking around. She gasped, her blue eyes going wide, as the sound of a tree snapping reached her. "It's coming!"
"Van something's out there," Hitomi warned.
"Those invisible guys from Zaibach," Van responded, scanning his surroundings.
"They're here. I know they're here. Where are they?" Hitomi closed her eyes and began to concentrate. She pictured her pendant in her mind, thinking back to all the other times she'd encountered their invisible enemies. "Van, straight ahead!" Hitomi cried as a guymelef decloaked, loosing tendrils of redish-orange flames. Van dodged, just missing being fried to a crisp.
"Let's go!" Van cried closing the face grate on Escaflowne and drawing its sword. "Hitomi, Merle hold on tight." He commanded.
"To the right!" Hitomi yelled as metal claws came ripping towards them. Van dodged, the claws hitting a tree. The tree splintered and fell to the ground with a crash. "The rear!" Hitomi exclaimed, pointing. Van once again dodged, allowing a tree to take his place.
"What are you doing? You're missing him!" Dilandau said, outraged.
"I'm doing my best, but..."
"It's almost as if he can see us somehow."
"Stop spouting nonsense. Just hit him will you?" Dilandau said in exasperation. "But try not to kill him okay?"
"Come on, where are you?" Van wondered aloud as he waited anxiously.
"Huh?" Hitomi mumbled. "Careful Van--- In front!" Hitomi blurted out. Van didn't have a chance to dodge and instead, deflected the claws with the sword. The claws were deflected by the blade, causing sparks to fly as they rushed off in a jumbled heap of metal ribbons.
"We're getting out of here," Van declared, running from their attackers. Hitomi and Merle cried out, hanging on tightly, as Escaflowne picked up speed.
"Come back here!" Dilandau demanded, going into flight mode to follow Van. The Escaflowne ran through the forest coming to a stop at the bank of a river.
"A river? That's perfect. Hitomi, Merle hop down."
"What are you going do?" Hitomi asked.
"Just do it!" Van commanded.
"Okay." Hitomi responded as Merle and her skittered down from Escaflowne's shoulders. "Van!" Hitomi cried as he walked into the river.
"Lord Van!" Merle echoed.
"Merle, this way!" Hitomi said, grabbing her arm and dragging her away as Dilandau and his dragon slayers sped past. The five guymelefs surrounded Van in a loose circle, causing violent ripples.
"They fell for it! Turning invisible won't do them any good here, Van said, pleased with his idea.
"Hmm. Very clever," Dilandau mocked. One guymelef shot, missing Van. Van attacked, cutting off the claws. Dilandau then entered the fray. Van parried once, twice, three times, all the while being forced back.
"Come on! Get him!" Dilandau ordered. Two guymelef shot their claws, piercing the legs of Escaflowne, immobilizing it. Dilandau shot his own claws. They grasped around the face-plate of Escaflowne. His sword melted, enwrapping itself around Escaflowne's blade.
"Gottcha! It doesn't matter if you can see us or not."
"Oh no! Lord Van!" Merle cried.
"Maybe I'll just crush you right here," Dilandau said, licking his lips. His claws began to dig into Escaflowne, cracking it.
"Lord Van!" Merle screamed, attracting Dilandau's attention.
"Huh?" he muttered looking towards the shore.
"Van! No!" Hitomi cried out in horror.
"It's her!" Dilandau spat distastefully, releasing Van. Dilandau turned to the river bank, headed towards Merle and Hitomi. With his sword free, Van slashed through the claws holding him, easily dispatching the guymelefs. He then quickly turned to catch Dilandau before he reached the two young women.
"Dilandau!" Van cried out in anger. Dilandau turned to face him, the two locked swords. The combatants fought in a battle of complex and fluid movements, blocking attacks and instituting their own. It wasn't long before Dilandau managed to disable the already damaged Escaflowne. The guymelef collapsed into the river face-first. Dilandau went into crazy laughter.
"I've got you now Van!" he cried insanely. While Dilandau wasn't paying attention, Van had escaped from within Escaflowne. He stumbled onto the river bank dripping wet, and gasping for air. Merle and Hitomi helped him up onto solid ground and he collapsed to his hands and knees.
"You have to get out of here!" he managed to gasp out.
"Lord Van," Merle said her voice full of worry.
"Please, go!" Van said shoving her towards the forest. It was too late. Dilandau flew onto shore, blocking Merle's possible escape.
"Van," Hitomi whispered, backing away from the towering guymelef.
"Hitomi, run!" Van commanded as he stood up.
"I can't," she replied faintly. "There's nowhere to run."
"It appears as if you have nowhere left to hide Van," Dilandau taunted in a sickeningly sweet voice. Van growled angrily, not liking this situation at all.
"Don't you dare hurt Lord Van!" Merle shouted, standing in front of Van. The pink haired cat-girl stood defiantly before the young king of Fanelia. Dilandau laughed, swatting her out of the way easily.
"Do be quiet you stupid little cat-girl!"
"Merle no!" Van cried out, horrified as Merle careened forcefully into a tree. She slid to the ground in a lifeless heap.
"Merle!" Hitomi choked out as she began to cry.
"You're next Van!" Dilandau shouted aiming at Van and shooting out his claws. Van lunged to the side, missing most of the claws. He landed on the ground with a cry. His left side had been pierced completely through. When Van didn't immediately get up, Dilandau presumed him to be unconscious and turned to Hitomi.
"His brother should be along soon to get him. Then I'll finally get to kill him!" Dilandau ranted. Hitomi backed fearfully away from the deranged young man.
"And now, it's your turn!" Dilandau fired his claws once again, only this time at Hitomi. Hitomi squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the pain. It never came. Instead she found herself shoved out of the way by someone, who fell on top of her. Hitomi opened her eyes to see who had saved her and cried out. Van was lying face first on the ground, blood pooling around him, his own blood. Hitomi scrambled to his side, picking his head up and laying it on her lap.
"Van?" she said in a shaky voice as her eyes filled with tears.
"Hitomi?" Van asked, slightly disoriented. Hitomi began to cry when she saw the full extent of his wounds. His left side had a large gash in it above where it had been pierced. Van's right shoulder was cut to the bone, his arm obviously broken. Blood oozed from a cut hidden by his ebony hair, and both legs were covered in blood. She knew he was going to die. It would only be a few more minutes.
"I'm sorry," she heard him whisper.
"Why? You have nothing to be sorry for."
"I'm dying, aren't I?"
"Oh Van....." Hitomi couldn't answer his question. She just couldn't.
"I'm sorry I didn't get you back to Earth. Forgive me?"
"I forgive you anything and everything Van."
"Thank you..." Van closed his eyes wearily. Hitomi cried out in agony.
"Why?" she screamed as a column of brilliant light enveloped her and Van. They were both captured in the beam of light that shot skyward. Dilandau cursed as his prey vanished.
"At least Van won't be around to bother me anymore," he smirked.
